Ludvig Åberg leads The Players Championship by two strokes over Xander Schauffele following an impressive second round at TPC Sawgrass. The Swede made history by playing the first nine holes in 29 strokes, tying the record. He finished with a total of 63 strokes and stands at –12.
Ludvig Åberg began the second round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, a course that is now his home track in Florida, with outstanding play. From tee to green, he maintained top class, and on the greens, he initially sank everything: birdie on hole one, eagle on two, birdies on three and four. On the ninth, he chipped in for another eagle, resulting in 29 strokes for the first nine holes – seven under par. This tied the record for the lowest score on the first nine holes in the tournament, previously shared by Martin Kaymer in 2014 and Dustin Johnson in 2022.
After the front nine, Åberg was at –10 total, tied with Xander Schauffele. He made birdie on the 11th but encountered some trouble later, including a bogey on hole 15 after duffing a chip from a difficult spot. Åberg recovered, however, with birdies on the 16th and 18th holes, giving him 63 strokes for the round – one stroke off the course record. The 26-year-old now leads at –12, two strokes ahead of Schauffele.
Alex Norén, the other Swede in the field, sits in 28th place at –2 after two rounds of 71 each. Last week, Åberg finished tied for third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, confirming he has found his form after a shaky start to the season. Henrik Stenson won The Players in 2009, Sweden's only victory so far in the event sometimes called 'the fifth major.' The winner receives a prize of 4.5 million dollars, equivalent to about 42 million Swedish kronor.
